Trolley-switch



(No Model.)

J; H. VANASSELT TROLLEY SWITCH.

No. 605,211, `Pampented June 7, 1898.

NirED STATES PATENT trice.

`.recon n. vANAssELr, oF- sEATrLE, WASHINGTON.' v

TROLLEY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 605,211, dated J' une7, 1898.-

Applioation filed October 2, 1897.

To @ZZ w/"tom it may concern: f

Be it known that I', JACOB H. VANAssELT, a citizen 01":4 the UnitedStates, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of'Washingtom have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTrolley-Switches; andI do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to trolley-switches or switches for guiding atrolley-wheel from a main-line conductor Vonto a turnout or sidingconductor, and its novelty and many advantages will be fully understoodfrom the following description and claims when taken in conjunction withthe annexed drawings, in which Figure lis an inverted plan View ofmyimproved switch. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken in the planeindicated by the line y y of Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section takenin the plane indicated by the line a: ne of Fig. l,` and Fig. 4 is adetail section taken in the planeindicated bythe line .e e of Fig. l.

In the said drawings similar `letters designate corresponding partsonall of the several views, referringto which- A B designate portions ofthe main conductor of an electric railway-that is to say, the conductorwhich rests over the main line of the railway.

C designates a turnout or siding conductor, and D designates thebody-plate of my improved switch, which is preferably ot' castbrass.This body-plate D is designed to be held in position by stays d,connected to suitable supports, (not illustrated,) or by other suitablemeans, and it is provided at its under side with a fixed guide portionE, which is interposed between the wire-sections A B and forms apartvofthe main-line conductor, as shown. Said body-plate D is also providedat its under side with a iiXed guide portion F, which abutsat its heelagainst the wire C of the turnout or siding conductor, as shown. At itsopposite endthe guide portion F abuts against the heel of theswitch-point G, which .point is disposed below and pivotally connectedto the body-plate" Vand is normally pressed against the guide portion Eby a serai 110.653.841. (No man.)

spring H. In the preferred Vembodiment of the invention the pivotalconnection of the point G to the switch-plate is preferably effected by.loosely arranginga trunnion b,

which is integral with the Switchpoint, in the platel and mounting a nuton the upper threaded end of said trunnion, as best shown in Fig. 4.This spring H is mainly disposed above the body-plate D; as better shownin Fig. 2, it being connected at one end to a shank c, rising from thebody-plate, and havv to such position when it is moved away from theportion E. It will also ibe observed that by reason of the spring beingarranged as 'described it cannot be struck and injured by thetrolley-wheel in its passage through the switch, which is an importantadvantage.

The guide portion E is gradually increased in depth from its ends to anintermediate point of its length, as shown, so as to enable atrolley-wheel passing along in engagement with the said guide portion toclear the bodyplate D. The switch-point G is also increased in depthfrom its Vfree end to its `heel and is deeper than the guide portion E,as better illustrated in Fig. 2, so as to enable the iiange of thetrolleywheel to clear the guide portion E when said trolley-wheel,traveling in the direction indicated by the large arrow, takes upontheswitch-point. The said switch-point abuts against the inner end ofthe guide por' `tion F, andthe said guide portion F is grad# uallydiminished indepth from its inner to `its outer end, as shown, so as toenable the trolley-Wheel to readily pass from the switchpoint on theguide portion F and from thence looA E and from thence over theswitch-point G, guide portion F, and turnout-conductor C in the ordernamed. A trolley-wheel traveling on the main conductor in the directionindicated by the medium-size arrow will pass from the main conductor onthe guide E, and when it reaches the switch-point one of its iiangeswill push the same away from the guide E and will pass between saidguide and point and continue its travel over the main conductor. Thearrangement is also such that a trolley-wheel travelingon theturnoutconductor in the direction indicated by the medium-size arrow isenabled to freely pass from the switch-point G to the guide E and fromthence to the main-line conductor B.

It is advantageous in some cases, as when it is not desired to have anycars pass from the main line into the turnout, to lock the switch in itsopen position. To this end I provide the keeper I, which is connectedwith and disposed below the body-plate C, and thelatcl1-barJ,w11ichispivotally connected to the switch-point and has anotch f to seat the keeper I when the switch-point is moved suffieientlyfar away from the guide portion E. The switch-point will not be movedsufficiently f'ar by the flange of a wheel traveling on the guideportion Ein the direction opposite to thatindicated by the arrow toplace the notch j' in engagement with keeper I. lVhen, however, it isdesired to place the notch f in engagement with the keeper I, andthereby lock the switch-point in its open position, the same may bereadily accomplished v by the'conductor-of a car guiding thetrolleywheel on the dotted line g in the direction indicated by thesmall arrow, so that the entire width ofthe trolley-wheel will passbetween the guide portion E and the switch-point G. This will move thesaid point sufficiently far to place the notch f in engagement with thekeeper I, and the point will thereby be secured in its open position.When it is again desired to have the point G rest normally against theguide `portion E, the latch-bar may be released from the keeper I by theconductor guiding the trolley-wheel, so as to enable the same to strikeand raise the latchbar, when the spring will automatically press theswitch-point against the guide E.

In virtue of the construction described it will be seen that the wiresor conductors are quently there is no liability of the trolley'- wheelleaving the conductors, which is an important advantage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In atrolley-switch, the combination of a suitably-supported switch-plateprovidedl with a keeper, a guide arranged at the under side of theplate, a movable, spring-pressed switch-point arranged at the under sideof the switch-plate and normally bearing against the guide, and a latchalso arranged at the under side of said plate and connected with theswitch-point and adapted to engage the keeper and hold the switch-pointaway from the guide, substantially as specified.

2. Ina trolley-switch, the combination with the main-line and. turnoutconductors; of asuitably supported switch plate having a guide on itsunder side interposed between the main-line conductors, a guide abuttingagainst the turnout-conductor, and a keeper, a switch-point pivotallyconnected with and disposed at the under side of the plate, a spring fornormally holding said point against the first-named guide ot' the plate,and a latch-bar loosely connected to the switchpoint and resting on thekeeper and adapted to engage said keeper, substantially as specitied.

3. In a trolley-switch, the combination with the main-line and turnoutconductors; of a suitably supported switch plate provided with the slote and having, on its under side, a guide interposed between the mainlineconductors, a guide forming the terminal of the turnout-conductor, and akeeper,a switchpoint pivotally connected with and disposed at the underside of the plate and having its heel arranged contiguous to thesecond-named guide of the switch-plate, and a latch also arranged at theunder side of said plate and connected with the switch-point and adaptedto engage the keeper, and the fiat spring II disposed above theswitch-plate and connected at one end to the lsame and having adepending portion at its opposite end loosely arranged in the slot c andconnected to the switch-point, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAcoB H'. vANAssEL'r.

IOO

